insetto

insect

noun een-SET-toh Rare

Origin: From Latin insectum (notched animal), a calque of Greek entomon.

Also means

bug

Usage Note

Insetto is the standard word for any insect. The plural gli insetti follows the regular masculine pattern. In informal speech, insetto can refer to any creepy-crawly bug, even non-insects like spiders, though technically ragno (spider) is an arachnid. The field of study is entomologia (entomology). Note the double 't' — pronounce it with a brief held consonant.

Examples

"Un insetto volava attorno alla lampada."

Natural Translation

An insect was flying around the lamp.

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